Countdown
by Crookshanks713
Summary: This is my first fanfic. Please read Chapter One for a full plot summary and some author's notes. BxJ.
1. Chapter 1

**Synopsis**: This story takes place five years after the events in the beginning of New Moon. One year after the Cullens left, Bella was diagnosed with Stage Two Myeloma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. She is admitted to Forks Hospital and undergoes treatment for a year or so when Charlie is shot when assisting the Seattle PD on a case. Alice returns to Forks to help Bella cope with her loss and with her illness. Flash foward three years and Alice and Bella are getting ready to move to a hospital with an Oncology department that specializes in Myeloma in Anchorage, Alaska. A hospital that is run by one Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Bella is reunited with all of the Cullens except for Edward and as she is fighting for her life, falls in love with Jasper. Bella will eventually be changed and there will eventually be lemons.

A/N: Hello! This is the first fanfic I've ever written, and the first non-academic thing I've written since high school. Please go easy on me! I welcome constructive criticism and will try my very best to respond to each review with a personal message or email. However, as I am a grad student, this may not always work. Please be patient with me as I get the hang of this! Also, I make no claims to know anything about Myeloma, so if I write something completely false, please let me know. I do want to make this as accurate as possible. In addition to this, I would like to say that I have never personally had a loved one who had cancer, and that I do not mean to make light or trivialize the experience in any way, shape, or form. If there is anything I ever say that offends you, please know that I didn't mean to, and write me a PM so I can fix it. I am also in need of a Beta, if anyone would be willing/interested in helping me learn the ropes. Thanks for reading through this long-ass a/n!

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER ONE (BPOV)

"Bel-la…..Bella! Pay attention!" Her chime-like voice demanded. Lazily, I turned my attention from the decaying leaves swirling around in the wind outside to the beautiful vampire standing in front of my bed.

"What Alice?" I halfway whined.

"I went to a lot of effort and did you the favor of picking out these scarves for you, the least you could do is pay attention!"

I scoffed. "Please, Alice. Shopping for you holds no more effort than breathing does for me." Alice's face fell slightly, but brightened quickly in an attempt to cover her tiny slip-up. "I'm sorry, Alice. You know I didn't mean it like that." I apologized quietly, looking back out the window.

"No, I know," she smiled warmly, dancing across the small hospital room to my side. "You know. I could probably _convince_ the charge nurse to let me take you outside for a walk."

I closed my eyes and took as deep of a breath as I could. It **would** be nice to feel the breeze on my skin. And maybe if we were lucky, the sun would be out. I think I miss that the most about being outside; seeing the sun dance across their diamond-like skin. Sometimes, when Alice is able to sneak me away from the Oncology floor, she'll take me to the little garden set back in the woods right next to the hospital. The garden was there for people like me, people who needed a little bit of beauty in their world before they left it. But being in the woods with her, breathing in air that doesn't have an aftertaste of medication and despair, can almost make me forget what my life has become and take me back to a time when I had a future, one that was a part of a family I considered my own from the very first day I had met them. Back to a time when I was healthy …


	2. Chapter 2

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER TWO (BPOV)

… _being in the woods with her, breathing in air that doesn't have an aftertaste of medication and despair, can almost make me forget what my life has become and take me back to a time when I had a future, one that was a part of a family I considered my own from the very first day I had met them. Back to a time when I was healthy …_

--FOUR YEARS EARLIER--

"Time heals all wounds for your kind," he had said. Hysterical laughter bubbled to my lips as I replayed his words over and over again, while Charlie looked at me, horrified.

"Bella! I hardly think that this is something you should be laughing at!" His strained whisper carried across Dr. Gerandy's office. The reality of the situation sunk in and I finally quieted, but a small, sad smile lingered on my face. How ironic it is that the first time Charlie should see me smile after _he_ left is after getting the news that I had been diagnosed with Stage Two Myeloma. Bone cancer.

_Not all wounds, Edward. Looks like you couldn't protect me from everything._

--PRESENT DAY--

I smiled at Alice and she went to go talk to the charge nurse about taking me outside. While waiting for her to return, I drifted, as I often do, to the events of the past four years…

My would-be protector and the rest of the Cullens had left a little over a year ago, right after my 18th birthday. I spent that year numb to everything around me. Well, almost numb. There was an ache, deep within my bones, that I had chalked up as being a physical side effect of the enormous amount of pain that their leaving had left me in. It was only after I had lost an unhealthy amount of weight in four months and Charlie forced me to go see Dr. Gerandy at Forks Hospital that I learned that this pain was a result of bone cancer, and not, as I had thought, heartbreak.

From that moment on, all the pain that stemmed from the Cullens leaving had taken second place to my cancer, though it was always there, burning hot. I moved slowly through life, withdrawing even more into myself. About six months after the diagnosis, the cancer had progressed to the point where it became necessary for me to move out of my small room in Charlie's house and into a small room in the hospital. Charlie spent every moment that he wasn't working or sleeping in my room, helping me do such simple tasks as walking to the bathroom. My bones were so brittle at this point that one Bella-esque tumble and I would be in near full-body cast. It struck me as ironic that despite all the time that Edward had spent hovering over me, fearing that I would break, it was only when he left that I became truly breakable.

After living this meager excuse of a life in the hospital for about 5 months, I experienced the second greatest heartbreak of my life. At my urging, Charlie left on a Friday to assist the Seattle Police Department with a homicide, the perpetrator of which, they had traced from the outskirts of Forks into the middle of Seattle. Charlie had not wanted to go, but I had insisted, assuring him I would be fine while he was gone. I had felt guilty that he had to take care of his screwed-up daughter, and I wanted him to feel that rush he always felt when he helped people.

The day after he left, I woke to find two officers from the Seattle PD and a few nurses waiting for me. They informed me that Charlie had been killed when closing in on the person responsible for all the murders. They told me that they had received a call from a local Seattle hotel. Upon arriving, they learned it was Charlie that had been attacked and killed soon after going to bed. They said that there had been no sign of anyone other than Charlie in the room. After speaking with the nurses, the uniformed men left, leaving me in a complete state of shock and depression.

It was that night that Alice had chosen to return to me. The nurses had given me some medication to help me sleep and when it wore off, I woke to find Alice perched on the foot on my bed, her golden eyes holding a thousand words that she seemed to scared to speak. Too surprised to speak myself, tears had started rolling down my face as Alice wordlessly clutched my hand, lending me a bit of her immense strength. She stayed with me until I fell asleep, and was there when I woke up. Still reeling from the events of the previous night, I listened quietly as Alice told me why she was there.


	3. Chapter 3

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER THREE (APOV)

--THREE YEARS AGO--

As was the case most days, the silence in the Cullen household was overwhelming. I sat in the kitchen, trying to occupy myself with a painting of the Alaskan mountaintops that rose majestically just beyond our home in Anchorage. Jasper was out hunting, doing what he called "conditioning exercises." He took the events of Bella's 18th birthday almost as hard as Edward did, or appeared to, and has since been on a personal quest to gain control over his bloodlust, once and for all. Truth be told, I didn't mind his absence. We had been growing apart for the last twenty years, and although the reason still remained elusive to me, I knew that Jasper and I would be parting ways soon, both physically and emotionally. I had known that he was destined for another, but stupidly ignored this knowledge that day in the diner. I drank in as much of Jasper as I could, waiting for the day when the pieces would fall into place and I could help him find his mate, as I had known I was meant to do. Shaking my head slightly, I listened for the other members of my meager family.

I could hear Carlisle turning the pages of his latest read up in his study, Esme was drawing in hers. She was tunelessly humming, something that I knew distracted her from the fact that her family had been torn apart. Emmet and Rosalie had decided to move to Europe instead of coming with us to Alaska when we left Forks. They check in from time to time and from what I can tell, Emmett is having a more difficult time of it than Rosalie, but that was to be expected given her jealousy towards our little human. And as for Edward…Well, we have no idea where he is. No one has been able to contact him at all since he abruptly informed us that we would be leaving Forks. I haven't bothered looking for him in my visions. As far as I'm concerned, he is no longer our concern. He made his bed and now he had to lay in it.

As I stared out into the white expanse, I could feel the familiar tinge of a vision. Sighing, I gave into it and was immediately shocked by what I saw:

Bella. But not our Bella. This Bella had skin to rival the Volturi's, paper-thin and pale as the snow. Her beautiful brown hair had been reduced to a few wispy strands and she was lying alone in a hospital bed while machines whirred and beeped around her. I recognized the hospital as the one that Carlisle had worked at when we lived in Forks. Almost immediately after that vision ended, I received another one, this one of an unfamiliar place but with an all-too-familiar person lying dead on the floor. Charlie. Dead. As this vision melted, yet another one took it's place. This vision was of the hospital that Carlisle worked at currently. This had the same Bella from the first vision, but if it was possible, she looked even more sick and even more frail. Esme and I were sitting in her room, smiling broadly, while Jasper stood next to her bed, anxiously looking down at her tear-filled eyes.

Gasping for air that I no longer needed, I realized what these visions meant and what had to be done. I flew up the stairs into Carlisle's office, securing the door behind me.

"Carlisle! I need to talk to you."

"Absolutely, Alice. What's on your mind?" he answered, putting his book down gently.

"It's Bella--" I started. Carlisle interrupted me, raising one hand.

"Alice. I miss her. We all do. But we made a promise to Ed---"

"Screw him!" I took a shaky breath, "Bella needs me. Needs US now. I have to leave, to take care of her. When I learn more, I'll let you know. I'll call you when I get to Forks."

His eyes calm and understanding like they always are Carlisle nodded, "Alright. I trust you Alice."

"You'll explain to Esme for me?" After Carlisle assured me he would, I tore off down the hall to Jasper and I's room, penning him a quick note explaining everything I had just said to Carlisle.

By nightfall, I was in Forks. My first stop was to Bella's house, just to see if I could get any sort of read on why she would be in the hospital. The moment I stepped into the house, though, I was blown away.

It looked like no one had lived there for about six months. Bella's scent was almost completely gone from every corner of the house, including her room. Going back downstairs, I saw papers scattered across the dining room table. Picking the first one up and reading it, I saw that it was a bill from Forks Hospital for chemotherapy treatment. After a little more rifling, I had learned that Bella had been diagnosed with what seemed to be an aggressive form of bone cancer. Feeling the weakest I'd felt since becoming a vampire, I lowered myself into the chair. It looked like Bella had been diagnosed about six months after we had left.

Knowing now why I had seen the things I saw, I squared my shoulders and went straight to the hospital. I got into the Oncology ward easily enough, as I was still recognized as Dr. Cullen's daughter. As small of a town as Forks was, many of the doctors and nurses who worked there knew that the Cullens had had some special relationship with Bella Swan and didn't give me any problems.

I slipped quietly into Bella's room and gasped at what I saw. She looked exactly as she did in my vision, which was to be expected. But to see it in real life…Well, that was heartbreaking. I slowly moved to the foot of her bed and carefully hopped on the bed, crossing my legs beneath me. After about three hours, Bella woke up and saw me. Saying nothing, she started to cry. I reached out with my cold hand, trying not to look shocked as I felt her cold, papery skin. I watched over her as she drifted back to sleep, waiting for her to wake up so we could start our new lives.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to a Story Alert or Favorites list. It really means a LOT to me! I would love to hear some of your ideas though. What's working so far, what's not? Is there a certain direction you would like me to take in this, any characters you want to have a larger part? I have a basic outline of what I want to happen in this story, but I need some help filling in the gaps. Also, a question for you seasoned writers on this here website: Is there an easier way to access reviews than clicking the "reply" link in the notification email FF sends when your story gets a new review? I've pored over the website and can't figure it out. Thanks! Oh and PS: I'm still looking for a beta is anyone's interested… ;)

All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER FOUR (BPOV)

PRESENT DAY

Alice was taking a much longer time than usual to get back to my room. I was starting to get impatient and tried to pass the time by reciting passages of my favorite book, _Wuthering Heights_, in my head. As usual, this exercise ceased to be about reading my book in my head and more about brooding over Edward.

Despite my illness and depression over Charlie's death, that night Alice returned to me was the best night of my life. The next morning when she had informed me that she was staying with me was the happiest I'd been since before my life turned upside down. Alice helped me plan Charlie's funeral, and the Cullen family paid for everything, and even took care of all of my hospital bills. Alice was true to her word, and has been living with me in the hospital for three years. Occasionally, I would get visits from Esme , Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett, but never Edward or Jasper. Jasper and I did not know each other well, so his absence wasn't as noticeable to me as the other absent Cullen's. As much as I enjoyed seeing the rest of the family, the fact that Edward refused to come cut deep. According to Alice, he hasn't been in contact with the family since shortly after he left me alone in Forks.

Although he had said that he wouldn't be bothering me after that day in the woods, some small part of me refused to believe that he is completely oblivious to what has been going on. But despite the pain that he put me through, I, for the most part, couldn't be happier for his betrayal.

All of my life, I have been constantly helped up by people when I fell, both in a literal and a metaphorical sense. Though I consider myself to be pretty independent, I have never stood on my own two feet and done what was best for _me_. When Edward came along, I accepted his over-protective nature, and to an extent, embraced it. With Edward around, there was no need for me to be strong. It wasn't until I was diagnosed until I realized that the cancer was the one thing that I had to do on my own. To say that I am happy about the cancer would be a lie, but it definitely has helped me learn how to stand on my own two feet.

My insistence on being strong for my own sake has been somewhat troublesome for Alice and I recently. Alice is convinced that I am being ridiculous. She thinks that I should just let Carlisle changed me, as he had offered to do when Alice told him of my condition. And four or five years ago, I would have agreed without a second's hesitation. But despite the constant pain that I am in, I'm refusing. I won't refuse indefinitely, but this is something I need to do for myself.

Alice understands, but I can tell her patience is wearing thin. About two months after her arrival, I had insisted that I would be fine on my own, that she didn't have to babysit me. I was sure that she was missing Jasper. She then explained about the fact that she and Jasper had grown apart, and that they were getting a divorce. After initially calming me down, she explained that they had become better friends over the last twenty years, as opposed to lovers. Alice, like Edward, is a very skilled liar, but I could tell that there was something that she just wasn't telling me. After some initial prodding that got me nowhere, I decided to give up. Alice would tell me when she felt the time was right, that's always the way it is with her.

"Hey Bella, you okay?" Alice suddenly poked her head in, interrupting my musings.

"Yeah, Alice, I'm fine. What's taking so long, we're burning daylight here!" I griped as Alice laughed.

"I know, Scrooge, I know. I'll just be a few more minutes." And as quickly as she came, she left. Sighing, I flipped on the television, the action of raising my arm sending waves of pain through the right side of my body. _How much longer of this am I going to have to take?_ I wondered to myself. And as usual when I think things like this, a little voice in the back of my head reminded me that it would only take one phone call to end the pain and start living a new life. I sighed. Maybe it **was** time to start thinking about having Carlisle change me. I've been considering this more and more recently, but I always chickened out before talking to Alice about it. Like I said, I wanted to be able to prove to myself that I was a strong person. But another, deeper reason for holding off on the change was my lack of a mate. There was a time when all I wanted was to be like the rest of the Cullens. But that was a time where I had someone to share forever with. Now that I didn't have anyone, I was dragging my feet.

Frowning, I realized that the simple fact of the matter is that I am not getting better. In fact, I'm getting worse. I had been in remission for about a year, but remained incredibly weak, thus necessitating my staying in the hospital. Lately though, I've been feeling worse and worse. There were times when I would throw up a sip of water, times when I it hurt just to be awake, times when I would get dizzy and faint just from something as simple as turning my head. Breathing heavily, I realized that now would be one of those times….

It's not nearly as long as I would have hoped, and I apologize for that! I'm having trouble trying to get all the backstory I want out of the way. We are done with all the flashbacks for now! Next chapter will be from Edward's perspective.


	5. Author's Note: November 24

A/N: Sorry I'm getting this to you all so late, but it's been a hectic few weeks. I was in the hospital for an ovarian cyst, then I got the flu (the regular kind!), so it's been kinda sucky over here. But I did see New Moon (SQUEE!) and LOVED IT and now have a few more story ideas floating around

However, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I will not be getting to any more Countdown or any other fic until after December 18th. I have a 25-page term paper due then, and I need to spend every minute I can researching and writing. Ah, the life of a grad student, haha!

But hopefully, I'll be able to crank out at least a chapter a day over my winter break, so your patience WILL be rewarded. Until then, I wish you all cheer and joy during whatever holiday you celebrate. As for me, I'll be spending my time writing, reading and waiting for Jasper under the mistletoe ;-)

Much love to all,

Meghan


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